Pa. DEP confirms water quality of Valley Creek, Upper Merion, is back to normal after sewer rupture

A damaged pipe from the sewer main break at Valley Forge National Historical Park Wednesday, March 19, 2014. A spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said March 28 that the water quality in the creek had returned to normal. 21st Century Media File Photo.

UPPER MERION — The water quality of Valley Creek has returned to normal 10 days after a March 18 sewer main break dumped thousands of gallons of wastewater into the stream, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection confirmed Friday.

Upper Merion Township Tweeted Thursday that DEP samples had shown that the waterway was safe for recreation.

The ruptured 30-inch sewer main near the intersection of Valley Creek Road and Valley Forge Road in Valley Forge National Historical Park leaked sewage at an estimated 5,000 gallons per minute into the creek, resulting in closures of stretches of both roads for several days.

The break was the third in the three-and-a-half mile Valley Creek trunk sewer line in a year and a half.

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Engineers shut down the pump feeding the main from the Wilson Street pumping station in Tredyffrin, and in a combined effort of public works departments and federal and state agencies, the main was excavated and repaired.

According to Deborah Fries, the DEP spokeswoman, pumping out of sewage by excavation crews was the only human/mechanical form of intervention.

Dilution was the main factor in the normalization of the creek’s condition.

Due to the nature of the creek’s contamination, the DEP tested the water for the presence of fecal coliforms. The standard for normal surface water is at or below 2,000 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters of water.

The DEP tested water at seven different locations along the creek on March 18,19, 20 and 24. The first two tests indicated that the water exceeded normal levels of contaminants, while the last two showed levels at or below the normal safety standard.

The most recent sampling shows that the conditions of the water where the break occurred are now consistent with the condition of the water in that area prior to the break, Fries said.

To prevent further incidents like this, Fried said, “communities need to make long term investments in infrastructure” which include regular maintenance and replacement or repair of old or damaged structures.